The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1887-02-11
pe,,,aer,on Pierce Heard From

Since the Saturday morning i'll Decem-
Der last when the startling intelligence
reached Woodstown that Professor Pierce,
of the Pennsgrove Musical Academy, had
suddenly skipped the town, taking with
him his assistant teacher of music and
much cash, conjecture has been rife as to
his whereabouts and as to whether he had
really eloped with Miss Yates, or simply
absconded from his creditors, or both. The
mystery attending his disappearance was
cleared up on Saturday last by the an
nouncement, first appearing in the Penns-
grove Record, for which scoop our es-
teemed contemporary is entitled to credit,
that the Professor had been discovered at
Fresno, California, pleasant. town OF
about 1900 population, some 200 miles
from San Francisco. The facts of the
case are about as follows: Upon Mr..
Pierces disappearance the parents OF Miss
Yates, his assistant, who resided i'll llli-
nois, were communicated with and they
put themselves in communication with
Miller & Sharkey's detective agency. of
Philadelphia, who undertook to track the
fugitives. Mr.. Miller of the firm took the
case into his personal care and succeeded
at last i'll locating the couple IN Fresno,
where they had arrived under the name of
Professor Pierson and wife. with the evil
dent intention of making it their abiding
place. Accompanied by the parents OF
Miss Yates the detective went to Fresno
and there confronted the pair, who could
not escape and Miss Yates acknowledged
her fault and consented to return With her
parents, and nobody having any use for
Pierce at that juncture, he vanished
from the town and is now probably wan
derer. Upon their arrival at Fresno, early
in January, they worked themselves into
the good graces of the people very quickly,
the town being rapidly growing one in
which newcomers are accorded hearty
welcome and their musical accomplish
ments and good address furnished them a
passport into good society at once. They
connected themselves with the Baptist
church and took an active part in the re-
ligious meetings and Pierce had the assur-
ance to state that he was formerly connect
ed with st. Paul's NJ. +. church, of Penns-
grove, n. j. Some of the wise heads were
suspicious, however, of the pair, and when
newspaper accounts of the elopement and
the Police Gazette with Perce's picture
made their appearance on the other side of
the continent, followed soon after by the
detective and Miss Yates parents, the
game was up, and the Professor made the
best of his way out of town, narrowly eS-
Gaping a suit of apparel once quite fashion
able in the boundless west, to vita coat
of tar and feathers. When next, or in
what capacity he will be heard from re-
mains to be seen, but he has doubtless
learned by this time that it pays better to
be nice than to be naughty, and that the
United States is a poor place to hide in
when there is anybody around that really
wants to find you.
The Philadelphia Record of "Wednesday
contained the following: 1t was the IN
tention Of the couple to marry and settle
down, but Miss Yates tired Of her infatua-
ton. ionged for home, and Pierce, having
spent all his money, was not in a condition
to provide for his partner. Pierce had
made the most elaborate preparations for
settling in the west. He had shipped a
piano and organ from Philadelphia TO san
Francisco, ard it is supposed they are in
that city now. Miss Yates is reported as
being thoroughly Disguised with her ex-
lerience.